About Us


Who We Are And What We Do


We began life as the Benson Arts Commission.  To take a broader roll in the arts community, the San Pedro River Arts Council was established in the fall of 2009, and incorporated in Arizona as a nonprofit.


Our Vision is…

to create and support an environment in which visual artists have opportunities to learn, experiment and exhibit.


Our Mission is…

  • Support art education in our schools.
  • Foster the growth and development of artists.
  • Provide opportunities to display artistic achievement.
  • Work with other organizations to strengthen the impact of the Arts Council on the community and artists.


Our major Programs include…

  • St. David Unified School District after-school Art Clubs.  Budget constraints and staff reductions resulted in no visual arts instruction for students.  The Arts Council, working with student government and district staff, created two after-school art clubs.
    The Middle School Art Club works on various short term projects including drawing, painting and sculpture.
    The High School Art Club takes on advanced instruction in basic concepts and media, pushing students to work outside of their “comfort zone.”
  • Celebrate the Arts! is a month long juried exhibition at Cochise College, Benson Center, in March of each year.  An awards reception in held to recognize the outstanding artists of the area.
  • Monthly individual artist exhibits at Cochise College, Benson Center.  These exhibits are not juried.  They provide opportunity for member artists to place their work in a public venue.
  • A Strategic Alliance with the San Pedro Valley Arts & Historical Society was created in September of 2012.  This Alliance will give our member artists greater exposure and strengthen the impact of both the Arts Council and the Arts & Historical Society.


We exist only through the contributions from people such as you.  Contributions both in money and effort.  The more volunteers we have, the more we can provide to the communities we serve.

Please take your time for a thorough visit to our site.  Here you can read about our events, visit with our member artists, learn about our leaders, volunteer to work with us and of course, make a valued contribution.

If you have any questions or comments, please use our “Contact Us” form.  We respond to all comments and questions.

Thank you for your time and interest and be sure to attend one of our events.  And when you do, introduce yourself to one of our volunteers.  We would love to meet you.